Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect it could cause a huge impact on you and your family. Medical bills, therapy costs and other losses can quickly become a burden.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer could help you file claim for compensation for the costs of taking care of your disabled child. Legal claims for birth defects are complicated and therefore it is vital to seek legal advice immediately.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must follow a standard when treating pregnant women or their babies. If the actions of a doctor are in violation of this standard and result in a birth defect or injury or injury, they could be held accountable for damage suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer with expertise in lawsuits for birth defects can help determine whether your child's health issue was caused by a medical error during pregnancy or the birth.

A doctor can also be held accountable for birth injuries if they fail to identify fetal distress, or don't respond appropriately. This can result in numerous serious issues, including hypoxic-ischemic brain injury and hypoxic encephalopathy such as cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects because they are caused by events during pregnancy, delivery, or labor. The causes of injuries include ailments like Erb's palsy that occurs when the nerves which energize and control the arms of an infant are stretched or damaged during birth and the caput succedaneum is a swelling of the scalp. Both can lead to a lifelong disability, and ongoing treatment will cost lots of money. A Washington, DC lawyer who is an expert in birth defects may offer a free consultation to examine your case and determine the best course for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect attorney may be able to help parents determine the reason behind an infant's birth injury. Many birth defects result from the genetics of the baby or other factors during pregnancy. However, medications can also cause birth defects. A number of commonly used medications have a profound effect on fetuses, particularly in the first trimester of pregnancy. These include anti-nausea drugs and NSAIDs as well as chemotherapy medications as well as certain antibiotics, and many more. These drugs have been proven to increase the risk of limb and brain deformities, heart defects, and craniosynostosis.

The duty of a doctor is to consider the risks when prescribing medications for women who are pregnant. If doctors fail to follow this standard of care, then they may be held liable for malpractice. Pharma companies can also be held responsible for not adequately informing mothers about the risks that come with their medication. Zofran is a drug used to treat nausea in cancer patients, was shown to increase the risk of major defects occurring in first-trimester pregnancy.

An attorney who specializes in birth defects can assist families in getting compensation for medical expenses, income loss and quality of living. This could include hospital fees medical expenses, doctor's fees and pharmaceutical costs and other expenses along with assistive devices and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can sue families of children who suffer from congenital disabilities as a result due to the negligence of corporations who expose pregnant women to chemicals and drugs that cause birth deformities. These lawyers are specially trained to determine the cause of birth defects, so that they can file a lawsuit against companies who expose pregnant women to teratogens either at work or at home.

Some of the chemical exposures that lead to birth defects are herbicides, fungicides, metals and other pesticides. These chemicals are called teratogens, because they can affect the development of a healthy fetus through chemical changes that can cause abnormal organs or hinder normal cell function. These chemicals can be found in many different locations, such as the manufacturing of semiconductors and cleaning of metals.

Other dangerous chemicals that may cause birth defects are aliphatic chlorinated hydrocarbons, such as trichloroethylene, perchloroethylene and dichloroethane. These chemicals have been shown to cause birth problems, including cardiac defects in babies born to mothers who were exposed to them in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits against various companies who were responsible for the exposure of families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have won significant settlements on behalf of families who had their children born with severe defects as a result of exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects are caused by a combination of medical negligence and environmental factors. If a family believes that their child's birth defect may be due to medical negligence, prescription drug overdose or exposure to toxic chemicals, they should speak with a DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the situation.

If pregnant women consume or absorb contaminants from their environment, they can cause serious birth defects. These substances are known as teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals can be found in our air, food and water. Certain of these chemicals could be dangerous to pregnant women.

For instance, arsenic in drinking water and cadmium in coal that has been contaminated can trigger various birth defects and other health issues. Industrial solvents such as benzene, toluene and trichloroethylene (a metal degreaser) are also linked with certain birth defects. Glycol ethers, employed in the manufacturing of silicon chips, semiconductors and video displays, are well-known to increase the risk of birth defects.

LK's skilled birth defect attorneys have filed a variety of lawsuits on behalf of children suffering from a myriad of birth defects as a result of improper exposure to chemicals and toxic substances at workplaces or in their homes. These lawsuits involve complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses like toxicologists and epidemiologists.